The Taliban's massive social media presence that's being ignored

Austin Bodetti, alaraby, The Taliban's massive social media presence that's being ignored, 22 Nov 2017 "The insurgents have employed social media for more creative purposes, creating Facebook profiles of attractive women to trick Western soldiers into disclosing intelligence. Their affiliates in Pakistan even tried to recruit propagandists for an online magazine through a Facebook page." I have written about this phenomenon in the past, and have something in my next book relating to the Taliban.

Family released from Taliban captivity

AP, Joshua Boyle, family leave Pakistan after rescued from Taliban-linked group

How hard-partying soldier Mathew Stewart became an al-Qaida militant

Guardian, How hard-partying soldier Mathew Stewart became an al-Qaida militant "Guardian Australia has interviewed several of Stewart’s former army colleagues, who recalled the young soldier’s steady unravelling from drug abuse, his experiences in East Timor, and relentless bullying by two of his section commanders. The men, all since retired from the army, are torn between revulsion at Stewart’s acts and an enduring sense of comradeship with a man they insist “had nothing dark in him”."

Taliban app

bloomberg.com, Taliban Develop Smartphone App to Advance Propaganda Efforts, 2 April 2016 "The Pashto language app includes content such as official statements and videos from the Taliban, which has sought insurgency in the country for more than 14 years since it was ousted in 2001 with help from the U.S. The app appeared on Google’s Play Store until Saturday, when it was removed to fix some "technical issues," Mujahed said. The app should reappear soon, he said."

Terror law prompts British Library to reject unique Taliban archive

Guardian, Terror law prompts British Library to reject unique Taliban archive, 28 Aug 2015 "Academics lambast London institution’s refusal to host documents in unmatched digital cache"

Taliban and Google Earth

BBC News, Panorama: Inside Taliban stronghold - included a Taliban commander, discussing strategic use of Google Earth

Op-ed - 'Banning the Book'

Irfan Husain, Dawn, Banning the book [opinion piece] "We in Pakistan do not have to look very far for instances of this kind of backwardness. Hundreds of schools have been blown up, barber shops attacked and DVD outlets forced to close. The ostensible reason is that they promote Western values. In the minds of many Muslims, the equation is straightforward: ‘modern’ equals ‘Western’ equals ‘sinful’.

"And yet these same barbarians have no problem with other products of modern education: witness their harnessing of the Internet and cellphone technologies for their purposes."

BCC Taliban issue

TNW, Taliban forgets to BCC an email, reveals its entire PR mailing list of over 400 people, "Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousef Ahmadi apparently needs a lesson in the difference between carbon copy (CC) and blind carbon copy (BCC). His slipup has resulted in the leaking of the group’s entire PR mailing list, which includes over 400 email addresses belonging to journalists, members of government, academics, and activists."

Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldier

Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldier | News.com.au "TALIBAN insurgents are posing as "attractive women" on Facebook to befriend coalition soldiers and gather intelligence about operations."

Adultery Execution ‘Un-Islamic’: Scholars

Adultery Execution ‘Un-Islamic’: Scholars - Asia-Pacific - News - OnIslam.net:  ""A public execution of an Afghan woman on accusations of adultery is inviting a storm of outrage across Afghanistan, with Muslim scholars condemning the practice as running against the teachings of Islam."

Taliban commander interview

Guardian, Taliban commander: we cannot win war and al-Qaida is a 'plague', 11 Jul 2012 "One of the Taliban's most senior commanders has admitted the insurgents cannot win the war in Afghanistan and that capturing Kabul is "a very distant prospect", obliging them to seek a settlement with other political forces in the country." See the original interview (in part) here: New Statesman, Preview: Michael Semple interviews a senior member of the Taliban

U.S. Twitter war vs. Taliban flares

U.S. Twitter war vs. Taliban flares - Austin Wright - POLITICO.com "

"The Twitter tiff: It’s a realm usually reserved for celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian.

"On Sunday, though, Twitter yet again became a field in the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan. In the latest flareup in an ongoing social-media campaign, coalition forces engaged the Taliban in a war of words, delivered 140 characters at a time."

Taliban 'jailbreak' video

Tribune.com, Bannu attack: Taliban release video of brazen jailbreak

"Footag­e shows guards deploy­ed to protec­t the jail offere­d no resist­ance."

Voice of Jihad Q&A service

Usman Sharifi, AFP, Taliban offer question-and-answer service online, 27 Mar 2012 "The facility on Voice of Jihad, the official website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the Taliban's own name for their movement -- allows readers to submit queries to spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid." Useful summary.

Marines' YouTube clip controversy

msnbc.com, 'Deplorable': U.S. defense chief condemns urinating Marines video, 12 Jan 2012 "An Internet video showing what appear to be U.S. forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters will not affect efforts to broker peace talks, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban said Thursday."

'Taliban Using Modern Means to Add to Sway'

Alissa J. Rubin, NYT, Taliban Using Modern Means to Add to Sway, 5 Oct 2011 "Punctually, at 8 o’clock every evening, the cellphone signals disappear in this provincial capital. Under pressure from the Taliban, the major carriers turn off their signal towers, effectively severing most of the connections to the rest of the world. "

The Taliban's Internet Strategy

Useful article/op-ed:

Bashir Ahmad Gwakh, RFE/RL, The Taliban's Internet Strategy, 10 Sep 2011 "Although the Taliban has numerous blogs and websites, two of their official websites, Al-Emarah.net and Shahamat.info (mostly videos), are their main official tools of propaganda. "Along with pictures and videos, they provide text materials in Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Persian, Urdu, and English."

I've been looking at Taliban sites for several years - there has been a long-term presence online (I wrote about them in Virtually Islamic).

Taliban Tweets

GMA News Online, Taliban boosts propaganda with English tweets, 13 May 2011 "In a move seen as an expansion of its propaganda's reach beyond the Afghan world, the Taliban has recently started posting messages in English on its Twitter account several months after tweeting only in pure Pashto, one of the Middle Eastern country's official languages." Widely reported

'Taliban Twitter' II

theglobeandmail.com, Taliban embrace information age with Twitter, English websites, 8 May 2011

I have previously blogged and written on this issue.

"Other attempts at expanding the Taliban’s marketing reach have run into obstacles. Its Facebook page was shut down earlier this year after just 20 days. But the Taliban has started sending out its statements as tweets from two Twitter accounts.

"To reach ordinary Afghans – most of whom are illiterate and have no Internet access – it relies on more rudimentary methods. It provides cassettes to compliant or intimidated mosque preachers and tribal elders. It operates radio stations in parts of four provinces where its control is solid. Some of its fighters carry mobile radio equipment consisting of little more than wire strung through tree branches and beat-up antennas held together with electrical tape. They then transmit cassette tapes of songs and religious exhortations."

"Ex-Taliban fighter in 'jihad recruitment bid'"

BBC News, Ex-Taliban fighter in 'jihad recruitment bid', 5 May 2011 "The court heard how Mr Farooqi and his son used the basement of the family's four-bed terrace house to produce DVDs and CDs about radical Islam."